In early June I headed to Dallas, hoping to avenge my 2013 race on the same course, where I suffered from mechanical problems on the bike and was eventually lapped out after stopping to fix them.
Unfortunately, the story had the same ending this year as well. However, I had no mechanical problems to speak of, the DNF was totally my fault this time. I exited the swim in what I thought to be a good position but had a pretty bad run up to transition and transition which left me with a smaller bike pack than anticipated. I lasted for 6.999 laps out of 8 laps on the bike and (along with the rest of my pack) was lapped by the larger lead pack with a couple hundred meters to go, thus ending my race.
This was definitely a disappointing result as I had hoped and prepared for so much more. However, failure just makes an athlete work that much harder. And, I feel very fortunate to have no injuries on the radar! My bad mood didn’t last for long as I woke up early the next morning to cheer on my very talented friend, Valerie Eipper, the other age groupers, and the paratriathletes as well. The smiling was infectious out there and you couldn’t help but be inspired by the dedication and talent of these athletes. In addition, I was reminded how ridiculously lucky I am to have a job that I love and also happens to keep me healthy and fit.
So, this is where I’m at right now. Luckily, I believe it’s about the journey (not the destination) and I will live to fight (read: race) another day. Don’t feel too sorry for me… I am currently doing a training block in beautiful Colorado and will leave next week to race in Toronto and Montreal… life is not too bad…
As always, thanks for reading! And check back in a couple weeks for updates on my Canadian adventures!
